Saturday, November 17, 2012

Serving Churches in the New Religious Environment

The decline in traditional denominations continues. This is not limited to mainline Protestants. Catholics, Jews, and some conservative or
evangelical groups are experiencing declines in membership and attendance as
well. In many cases, this decline started
decades ago, but various groups are only now admitting the impact on their
ministries and programs. Endowments and financial
reserves have helped to maintain the status quo, but these are not as robust as
they once were and may even be depleted.

We might identify any number of factors behind this decline—demographic
(including ethnic shifts and birthrates), social, economic, and theological—but
that is not the point of this blog. I
will leave that assessment to others.

As denominations have declined, the structures they
developed and supported have declined as well These bureaucracies (and I do not
use that word in a pejorative way) once provided many services to local
congregations—the coordination of mission and ministries nationally and
internationally, Christian education resources and training, the education of
clergy, and consulting services to assist churches, clergy and laity. Most of these structures were at their
greatest strength in the sixties. Today,
news releases about staff cuts, restructuring, and “new ways to serve churches”
are seen quite regularly, especially around the time new budgets are being
developed.

While denominational bureaucracies decline, many local
congregations—some that identify with a denomination and some that do not—are seeking
to be healthy, growing expressions of the Body of Christ. A big difference is that they no longer look
to a denominational judicatory to provide the assistance that they seek. These congregations might be called missional
since they understand that the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God comes when a
group of believers discover and fulfill the unique mission that God has given
to them.

To find help to pursue this mission, these churches seek out
support in many different places. These
include independent publishers, free-standing social ministry and mission
organizations, colleges and theological institutions, and consulting and
training firms.

I am pleased to be connected with four organizations that
provide this kind of support to churches.

One is Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Shawnee,
Kansas, led by Dr. Molly Marshall.
Central is providing new ways to
serve churches and their leaders through a Doctor of Ministry program with a
cross-cultural emphasis, an alternative Master of Divinity called create that
seeks to develop entrepreneurial leaders, the Foundations ministry certificate,
the Korean Contextual Theological Education program, the Transformed by the
Spirit Leadership Center, and other programs. These initiatives recognize the many changes that
have happened in congregations in recent years and attempts to respond to them. I have the opportunity teach for Central from
time to time and provide some consulting services.

Another is Pinnacle Leadership Associates, led by Rev. Mark
Tidsworth. Pinnacle associates are an
ecumenical group of trained ministers who provide coaching, consulting and
training to churches, judicatories, and not-for-profit organizations. This includes clergy coaching, staff
development, visioning consultations, personal and professional development,
and conflict mediation among others. In
many ways, Pinnacle provides services that churches once received from
denominational entities but which are no longer available or appropriate. I serve as Coaching Coordinator for Pinnacle
and do clergy coaching and training.

The other two are ethicsdaily.com and Associated BaptistPress. Ethicsdaily.com provides both resources and information for clergy and
congregations so that they can respond effectively to today’s challenges. They are kind enough to pick up some of my
blogs and allow me to share my opinions with a larger audience. Associated Baptist Press is a news and
information service that understands how to communicate in the 21st
century. I am an occasional blogger for
their web site.

Another unique thing about organizations like Central
Seminary, Pinnacle Associates, ethicsdaily.com, and ABP is that they are not
dependent on denominational resources.
Although they may receive gifts from denominations or partner with them
on special projects, they have also developed other funding streams including
private contributions. I am pleased to
be a small contributor to three of these groups.

I could identify a
number of other 21st century organizations that are providing unique
services to churches—Global Women, Baptist Women in Ministry, Wycliffe Bible
Translators—but I think I have made my point.
Whatever your need or that of your church, there are partners ready to
come alongside and help you fulfill your mission.

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About Me

I consider myself an itinerant educator. My time is spent in encouraging and equipping ministers through my work with the Central Baptist Seminary and Pinnacle Leadership Associates. I also do volunteer work with my church in the area of leader development. Other time is devoted to reading, writing, traveling, and spending time with grandchildren and my wife,